University Correspondence

University Correspondence

Among the many ways in which Duke University communicates its official positions on legislative and regulatory issues is through sending letters to Members of Congress, Administration Officials, and other policymakers. See below for the latest official correspondence.

11/20/14 – Duke joined the Coalition for National Security Research (CNSR) in a letter to House and Senate appropriators asking them to pass an FY15 omnibus appropriations bill that includes “strong investments in the U.S. Department of Defense Science and Technology (S&T) accounts.”

4/28/14 – Letter from 34 universities, including Duke, to urge House and Senate appropriations committee leaders to support university-based research and education at NASA in the FY15 appropriations bills.

7/2/13 – Letter from Duke President Richard Brodhead thanking Senator Kay Hagan for her support of the comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the Senate on June 27, 2013.

7/11/12 – Letter from over 150 college and university presidents to President Obama and congressional leaders on July 11 urging them to avoid a year-end budget sequestration and forge a major, balanced, long-term deficit-reduction agreement.

9/13/12 – In a jointlettertied to a new research report from the Partnership for a New American Economy, Duke President Richard Brodhead and the heads of more than 75 other leading American research universities called on the White House and Congress to work together to provide top international graduates with a clear path to a green card, enabling them to stay and create new jobs in the United States.

5/25/12 – Joint Letter from Duke President Richard Brodhead and UNC System President Thomas Ross urging Senator Richard Burr to oppose any efforts to cut funding to the National Science Foundation’s Political Science Program during the Senate’s consideration of the Fiscal Year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill. A similar letter was sent to Senator Kay Hagan.

4/30/12 – Letter from James D. Luther, assistant vice president and research costing compliance officer, to the Office of Management and Budget in response to the Advanced Notice of Proposed Guidance (ANPG) on grant reform initiatives. OMB issued the ANPG on February 28 as part of the Administration’s ongoing effort to streamline regulations and improve oversight of federal programs, and is a follow-on to the work conducted by the Interagency Task Force on Circular A-21 – to which Duke provided recommendations last summer.The university’s response addresses the cost principles and administrative requirements associated with the reform of federal policies relating to grants and cooperative agreements.

2/27/12 – Letter from President Richard Brodhead to Senator Richard Burr outlining Duke University’s appropriations priorities for FY13. President Brodhead sent an identical letter to Senator Kay Hagan and Representative David Price.

2/24/12 – Letter from President Richard Brodhead to Representative Virginia Foxx, thanking her for introducing legislation (H.R. 2117) to repeal Department of Education regulations on state authorization and credit hour. In his letter, President Brodhead pointed out the increased administrative and financial burdens associated with the original regulations, as well as the “inappropriate governmental intrusion in academic decision-making” contained therein.

9/21/11 – Letter from over 130 university presidents, including President Brodhead, urging the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach a federal budget agreement that focuses on entitlement and tax reforms instead of making further cuts to domestic spending — including higher education.

5/27/11 – Letter (pdf) from President Richard Brodhead to Senator Richard Burr outlining Duke University’s appropriations priorities for FY12. President Brodhead sent a similar letter to North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan.

4/21/11 – Letter (pdf) from President Richard Brodhead to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, expressing concern over the disproportionate reduction of funding to Title VI international programs.

2/21/11 – Letter (pdf) from President Brodhead to Senator Richard Burr, writing to express concern with the proposed Continuing Resolution, H.R. 1, that “seeks to reduce the deficit through counterintuitive cuts to many of the research and education programs that help drive our economy.” Brodhead sent an identical letter to Senator Kay Hagan as well.

1/18/11 – Letter (pdf) from Provost Peter Lange to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, urging that regulations for the new “Pathways Programs” are written to enhance the pipeline into federal service for Duke students.

12/7/10 – Letter (pdf) from President Richard H. Brodhead asking Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) for her support of S. 3992, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

11/5/10 – Letter(pdf) from the Energy Sciences Coalition (of which Duke is a member) to House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey and Ranking Member Jerry Lewis expressing concerns about the FY11 funding level provided for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science in the bill approved by the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter also urges the committee to provide increased funding for the vital basic research the Office of Science supports.

10/28/10 – NAFSA letterurging President Obama to lift the 2004 regulations placed on academic travel to Cuba (Duke is a signatory).

4/30/10 – Letter (pdf) from James Siedow, Vice Provost for Research, and Mark Stomski, Director of Export Controls commenting on the proposed amendment to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations System and its potential impact on Duke and other similar institutions.

4/9/10 – Letter (pdf) from Vice Provost for Research James Siedow to Stephen Tarragon, head of the Regulatory Products Division Clearance Office at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in response to the Federal Register Notice concerning USCIS’s proposal to add a “Deemed Export Acknowledgement” question to the Form I-129. Siedow’s letter endorses more extensive commentssubmitted by the Association of American Universities (AAU) and Council on Government Relations (COGR)

3/24/10 – Letter (pdf) from President Richard H. Brodhead to Congressman David Price highlighting Duke’s FY11 funding priorities and encouraging support for the competitively awarded research grant programs at the federal agencies. President Brodhead sent similar letters to Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr.

9/29/08 – Letter(pdf) from Provost Peter Lange to Congressman David Price asking for support of the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act (S 2913). Provost Lange sent the same letter asking for support to Congressmen Melvin Watt and Howard Coble as well.

5/28/08 – Letter (pdf) from President Brodhead to Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Michael Enzi, Congressman George Miller, and Congressman Buck McKeon highlighting troublesome provisions of the Higher Education Act and urging the revision or elimination of said provisions.

3/10/08 – 2009 Appropriations Letter (pdf) to Senator Elizabeth Dole from Duke Provost Peter Lange urging the senator to support Duke’s research and student aid interests during the appropriations process for fiscal year 2009. Similar letters were sent to the entire North Carolina Congressional delegation.

2/28/08 – Letter (pdf) from President Richard H. Brodhead to Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Grassley of the Senate Committee on Finance in response to their questions concerning the cost of higher education and university endowments.